Cetinje Assembly calls for resignations and international investigation after Montenegro shooting

Jan 11, 2025 - The Cetinje Municipal Assembly has called for the resignation of top security officials after a horrific mass shooting in the Montenegrin town left 13 dead, including two children, on January 1.

On Friday, 27 out of 30 local representatives backed a motion led by Mayor Nikolla Gjurashković. The motion demands the resignation or dismissal of Deputy Prime Minister for Security Aleksa Bečić, Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović, and Police Chief Lazar Šćepanović. This follows a growing call for accountability after the shocking events.

The shooting spree, carried out by local man Aco Martinović, saw 13 people killed and three others seriously injured in just 30 minutes. Police efforts to apprehend Martinović lasted over six hours, before he tragically took his own life.

Alongside calls for resignations, the Assembly has demanded an independent international investigation into the handling of the incident and the security failures that led to it.

This is the second mass shooting in Cetinje in just two years. A similar attack in August 2022 left 10 people dead and six injured, sparking fears over the adequacy of police resources and training.

The tragic events have reignited widespread anger over the state of policing in Montenegro, with many citizens calling for urgent reforms and improvements in law enforcement.